Randall Clague wrote: > "Gotten their act together" is a bit strong. I think "been absolutely > right on the ball" is a better description of what would have been > necessary. The main point, that there was initially a chance to save > the crew, is valid.
One thing that NASA probably ought to do is develop a cheap, fast-launch Orbital Lifetime Extension Package - a pod filled with stuff like extra oxygen, CO2 absorbent, food, and toilet paper, carrying enough OMS delta-V for final rendezvous, and capable of being launched, in multiples, within a few days notice, on an ICBM-class booster. (How does the throw-weight of, say, the Minuteman system compare to the original Atlas, which was used to orbit the 3000-lb Mercury spacecraft?) Absolute unit reliability is not as critical if the package is made manufacturable - if it takes a few tries to connect, the one that gets there makes it all worthwhile in giving the crew of a potentially damaged shuttle some etxra days or weeks of survival on orbit while a definitive rescue is contrived. (This has been discussed here before, and though it wasn't included in the report as a recommendation, I think it should have been.) -dave w _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
